Book urges parents to reorder their lifeNEW YORK — Dr. Leonard Sax has been a family physician and psychologist for 27 years, conducting workshops around the world for parents, teachers, social workers, counselors, school psychologists and juvenile justice professionals. He’s also a dad, and it’s from all those perspectives that he took on his fourth book, an alarm bell of sorts titled, “The Collapse of Parenting,” out recently from Basic Books. Sax, who lives in Exton, Pennsylvania...

East Coast digging out after massive weekend blizzard East Coast residents who made the most of a weekend blizzard faced new challenges Monday as the workweek began including slippery roads and spotty transit service. For many, the weekend extended into Monday because of closed schools and government offices. Elsewhere, thousands in North Carolina remained without electricity. NEW JERSEY Commuters heading to work in New Jersey are finding major highways clear following the major storm that clobbe...

Obama tours auto show on Detroit visitDETROIT — President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed the revival of the nation’s auto industry while acknowledging the water crisis in nearby Flint, Michigan, saying the detection of high levels of lead serve as a reminder that the government can’t shortchange basic services. Speaking to auto workers after taking in the North American International Auto Show, Obama said, “I know that if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my...

New U.S. moms’ average age establishes record, topping 26NEW YORK — The average age of first-time mothers is at an all-time high in the U.S — over 26. The change is largely due to a big drop in teen moms. But more first births to older women also are tugging the number up, said T.J. Mathews of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He’s the lead author of a report released Thursday that put the average age at 26 years, 4 months for women who had their first child in 2014. The government beg...

NASA adds another company to ship supplies to space stationCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is adding a third company to its short list of space station suppliers, a Nevada business that will bring back a mini version of the shuttle. On Thursday, NASA announced Sierra Nevada Corp. will join SpaceX and Orbital ATK in launching cargo to the International Space Station. These flights will begin in 2019 and run through 2024. This marks a second chance for Sierra Nevada. It competed for NASA’s commercial crew c...

Haley defends immigrants in GOP responseWASHINGTON — Americans should resist “the siren call of the angriest voices” in how the nation treats immigrants, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday as the GOP used its response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address to try softening the tough stance embraced by some of its leading presidential candidates. The U.S.-born daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley said the country is facing its most dangerous security threat ...

Obama reflects on past 7 yearsWASHINGTON — With Americans soon to begin choosing his successor, President Barack Obama is casting his seven divisive years as a time of positive change, implicitly asking voters to replace him with a Democrat who would continue his hard-won policies on health care, climate change and Iran. Addressing a hostile Republican-led Congress and a country plunged in a tumultuous, at times angry presidential campaign, Obama used his final State of th...

Many Americans have remained friends with an ex, survey findsWASHINGTON — Most Americans think making a clean break with an ex helps speed the healing process after a breakup, according to a new Associated Press-WE tv poll. But not all of them are listening to their own advice. Six in 10 think cutting off contact with an ex is very helpful for getting over a breakup, and about the same percentage say it’s usually not worth it to try to stay friends with an ex. But their actions often tell a different st...

Many colleges telling students to leave hoverboards at homeBOSTON — One of the holiday’s hottest presents is now considered contraband at many U.S. colleges. More than 30 universities have banned or restricted hoverboards on their campuses in recent weeks, saying the two-wheeled, motorized scooters are unsafe. Beyond the risk of falls and collisions, colleges are citing warnings from federal authorities that some of the self-balancing gadgets have caught on fire. “It’s clear that these things are pote...

Universities tap into craft beer growth by offering classesMONTPELIER, Vt. — With an explosion in growth in the craft beer industry over the last decade, it’s not enough to simply have a passion for brewing and beer when it comes to starting a brewery or working for one as the industry gets more competitive. Recognizing that, some universities are now offering programs on the business of craft beer. In the last decade, the number of craft breweries has grown to more than 4,000 in the U.S. today, from ...

Legendary musician David Bowie dies of cancer at 69 NEW YORK — David Bowie, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship, nonconformity, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died of cancer Sunday. He was 69 and had just released a new album. Bowie, whose hits included "Space Oddity," ''Fame," ''Heroes" and "Let's Dance," died "peacefully" and was surrounded by family, representative Steve Martin said early Mon...

Powerball soars to $800 million as states see strong salesDES MOINES, Iowa — With Powerball sales breaking previous records, the odds are growing that someone will win Saturday night's $800 million jackpot — but if no one matches all the numbers, the next drawing is expected to soar past $1 billion. For this weekend's record drawing, about 65 percent of the possible number combinations will have been bought, officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game, said Frida...

Letter to the editor: Gunshow loophole and background checksApparently, Obama is unfamiliar with the HIPAA Law. He should read it, especially the part that says you cannot be refused the purchase of a firearm for being “Mentally Defective” unless you are deemed mentally ill by the courts or committed to a mental institution. Medical professionals are not going to call the BATF every time a patient in their care says they’re angry, depressed, going through a divorce, lost their job or need help dealing ...

Trooper in Sandra Bland traffic stop indictedHEMPSTEAD, Texas — A Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland after a contentious traffic stop last summer was fired Wednesday after being charged with perjury for allegedly lying about his confrontation with the black woman who died three days later in jail. Trooper Brian Encinia claimed in an affidavit that Bland was “combative and uncooperative” after he pulled her over and ordered her out of her car. The grand jury identified that aff...

Los Angeles County prosecutors reject sex charges against CosbyLOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County prosecutors declined Wednesday to charge Bill Cosby with sexually abusing two teenagers in 1965 and 2008, citing time limits and a lack of evidence. The decision comes about a week after Cosby, 78, was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 inside his home near Philadelphia — the first criminal case brought against him out of the torrent of allegations that destroyed his good-guy image as...

El Nino storm slams California hardLOS ANGELES — The hillside above the California home of Wayne Socha had held firm against thunderstorms over the past three decades. But after a wildfire two years ago stripped away vegetation and loosened soil, he feared the strong El Nino storms pounding the state could bring it all down. So the 61-year-old corporate auditor grabbed a sledgehammer and waded through the muck in his Monrovia backyard to knock a hole in a cement wall and let a ...

Man behind armed Oregon band says he's on mission from God PORTLAND, Ore. — The man behind the armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge comes from a Mormon family that has been challenging government authority for at least two decades. Ammon Bundy, like his father in previous confrontations, says he is following directions from God and invokes his family's faith when explaining the anti-government movement he is attempting to lead. In March 2014, Cliven Bundy was at the center of an armed standof...

'It gets me mad' - Obama acts alone on gun control WASHINGTON — Tears streaking his cheeks, President Barack Obama launched a final-year push Tuesday to tighten sales of firearms in the U.S., using his presidential powers in the absence of tougher gun restrictions that Congress has refused to pass. The president struck a combative tone as he came out with plans for expanded background checks and other modest measures that have drawn consternation from gun rights groups, which Obama accused of ...

Obama's move on guns may have only modest effect on violenceWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's move to tighten controls on guns could curb the unregulated buying and selling of weapons over the Internet and at gun shows. But the overall effect on violence in the U.S. could prove to be modest. "It's not ever going to be difficult to get a firearm, just like it's not ever going to be difficult to get illegal drugs," said James Jacobs, a New York University law school professor. "What makes us thi...

Farm worker faces felony charges for ‘maliciously’ killing chickensROCKINGHAM, N.C. — A farm worker in North Carolina is facing felony animal cruelty charges for “maliciously” killing four chickens, authorities said. The Daily Journal of Richmond County reported officials said Danny Cajija Miranda, 22, killed two chickens by grinding his heel on their heads and whipping one round by its neck. According to warrants, he killed a third chicken by hitting it in the head with a hammer and a fourth by throwing it a...